What do you do when you see this??

Nurses General Nursing

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When I assisst patients to the restroom, I noticed that many of them would not wash their hands!! You can wash wash wash YOUR hands, but what if the patient doesnt even bother to wash their own???

What are your "polite" ways to tell the patient to wash their hands?? :lol2:

I will bring them a washcloth or get them some of the hand sanitizer gel. I also always provide them with these things before meals.

I work with geriatric schizophrenic patients. Every time one of the patients walks by I have them use hand sanitizer.

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Specializes in ER, Family Practice, Free Clinics.
I have since moved to the south and noticed that not only is it very rare for people to wash their hands prior to leaving the restroom, they actually look at me like I am some kind of freak when I wash my hands.

I was born and raised in the south, lived here my whole life in large cities and small towns. I have never seen a pattern of large numbers of people not washing thier hands. This is completely new to me. I wash my hands A LOT. My first career was in microbiology! I think I'd notice if it was rare for people around me to rarely wash thier hands! Perhaps you've seen this in one particular work place? Or even one particular very nasty town in need of education? I don't like seeing an entire region characterized like this, especially since its my home!

I may be a southerner but: many of us are college educated, we pretty much all wear shoes and wash our hands, most of us can't play the banjo (hard to believe, I know), and no one I know is married to thier cousin. I'm from Tennessee and I don't drink Jack Daniels or particularly like Elvis either. Every time I leave the south or interact with people from other places I fight an uphill battle not to be seen as ignorant, backwards, or uneducated, so I am sorry but I have a HUGE chip on my shoulder about things like this. SlavicNurse, I'm sure you'd agree that most sterotypes of any sort are useless and hurtful... but I do enjoy a nice bowl of fried okra from time to time

Stepping off my soapbox now.

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I would tell her/him the consequences if they don't wash their hands after using toilet. But if they can't manage it yet i will assist for sure the patient because this is our job concerns. God bless everyone:trout: :monkeydance:

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I would tell her/him the consequences if they don't wash their hands after using toilet. But if they can't manage it yet i will assist for sure the patient because this is our job concerns. God bless everyone:trout: :monkeydance::loveya:

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Perhaps you've seen this in one particular work place? Or even one particular very nasty town in need of education?

I see it all the time in restaurants, rest areas, service stations, hospitals...you name it. I have lived in Nashville, Knoxville, Birmingham area and Atlanta and have seen many more who do not wash their hands than those who do.

I don't like seeing an entire region characterized like this, especially since its my home!

And I would be the same way about my home. However, my characterization of an entire region is based upon what I have seen for an extended period of time since I have been here. I am not "putting a region down", just stating facts.

SlavicNurse, I'm sure you'd agree that most sterotypes of any sort are useless and hurtful... but I do enjoy a nice bowl of fried okra from time to time

Stepping off my soapbox now.

I am not stereotyping, just stating what I have seen repeatedly with my own two eyes. If I didn't like the region, I wouldn't live here, but the fact remains that I see more people NOT wash their hands after "visiting Johnny" than those who do. Sorry if this offends you.

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I probably shouldn't have even said anything. I was referring to patients in critical care situations mostly.

I would probably say something like, "here, let's get you cleaned up. You will feel better." And then start at the sink or with a washcloth.

For the patients that I think you were referring to - oriented and not in severe pain - I agree. Not washing is just filthy and narly.

Again, shades of gray. I'm sure you wouldn't bemoan an ICU patient on a morphine drip if she didn't ask for purell after a nasty event.

Now come on be reasonable. I when i am at home always wash my hands. I needed help off the toilet and back to bed and the nurse took me right past the sink everytime. I was in pain. not that severe, but i was dizzy and weak from surgery.

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Specializes in OR.

You'd be surprised at how many people don't wash after going to the bathroom. When I was in tech school along time ago, I worked in a cafe at Borders Books and went to the ladies room. A woman came out of one of the stalls, noticed my name badge and proceeded to berate me that our bathrooms were "dingy", However, after yelling at me she then left the bathroom without washing her hands.:uhoh3: This post reminds me of a funny George Carlin comedy routine about germs. According to good ole George, we were all give immune systems and these immune systems need "practice" therefore he doesn't wash his hands after going to the bathroom.:o I quote, "Know when I wash my hands?-When I sh#t on them, and that happens once or twice a week, tops." I was listening to this skit on my IPOD and was laughing and cringing at the same time!:lol2:

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
Now come on be reasonable. I when i am at home always wash my hands. I needed help off the toilet and back to bed and the nurse took me right past the sink everytime. I was in pain. not that severe, but i was dizzy and weak from surgery.

I agree with you. I've been arguing in this thread that patients normal habits go out the window when they are sick and that it is, in fact normal. The OP is the one who is arguing that it is filty.

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Specializes in Occ health, Med/surg, ER.
I agree with you. I've been arguing in this thread that patients normal habits go out the window when they are sick and that it is, in fact normal. The OP is the one who is arguing that it is filty.

I never ONCE said patients are filthy. I started this thread wanting to know what other nurses do when patient doesnt wash their hands. I dont work with fresh post op patients at my hospital... so post anesthesia grogg is not usually an issue.

Yes, I see the point that "normal habits" go out the window when someone is sick... I really am not an argumentative person, so I will just leave it at that. Agree to disagree. I know its already been said, but Im sorry I even said anything.

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
I never ONCE said patients are filthy. I started this thread wanting to know what other nurses do when patient doesnt wash their hands. I dont work with fresh post op patients at my hospital... so post anesthesia grogg is not usually an issue.

Yes, I see the point that "normal habits" go out the window when someone is sick... I really am not an argumentative person, so I will just leave it at that. Agree to disagree. I know its already been said, but Im sorry I even said anything.

YIKES. I think we are having unnecessary conflict. I shouldn't have said "filthy." You are correct, you didn't say that. We just disagree a bit about patients and handwashing and how far normal habits go out the window if one is suffering. And that's is ok to disagree about.

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

It appears to me that this thread has gotten hopelessly entangled in arguments, and is now going around in circles.:o

Since nothing is being accomplished here except for a few noses getting out of joint---and the thread has pretty much outlived its usefulness--I am going to close it per OP request. There is no need to get one's knickers in a twist over something like this.

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